Greens planning for role in government

The Green Party will begin the process of grooming itself for government when over 500 party members meet in Cork tonight for its three-day annual convention.

Leader Trevor Sargent believes that Green ministers at the Cabinet table would be good for business and bring competitive advantage to the economy by setting a “new agenda“.

He accused the current coalition of mismanaging the economic boom and squandering billions of taxpayers’ money on public projects.

“If we are to achieve real change, then the time has come for Green politics to take a hold of the decision making process.

“If we want to build a clean green energy economy we need to start investing in completely different energy, transport, building and farming systems and we need to do it now,” he said.

Mr Sargent insisted his party’s policies had already found their way into government – the plastic bag levy and wind power energy.

The party faithful is meeting tonight for the first time since they made modest gains in last year’s local elections but lost their two MEPs.

A recent internal review called on the party to begin fundraising now for the next general election and aim for gains in Galway West, Clare, Cork North Central, Wicklow, Carlow, Dublin South Central, Kildare North, Dublin North Central and Meath.

The six TDs and 29 councillors will be told by strategists be on an election footing from this weekend.

Political analyst and author Sean Donnelly believes the party will maximise its chances by staying clear of any voting pacts with Fine Gael or Labour.

The Cork South Central branch has tabled a motion rejecting a pre-election pact but a competing motion from the parliamentary party advises to “keep open the option".

“They should go it alone because the smaller party always gets squeezed out to bigger parties,” Mr Donnelly explained.

“The public mood at the time of the election will depend very much on voter attitudes to the coalition parties.

“If the Greens get a bloc of five or six seats, they would be a very credible addition to an alternative administration.”

Local Green councillor in Co Clare, Cllr Brian Meaney believes Greens are edging into the political mainstream across the EU and now may be the time in Ireland.

Former Finnish Green Party Environment Minister Pekka Haavisto will speak at the conference tomorrow on the theme: “Greens in Politics.”

Cllr Meaney said: “The Irish people are as a sophisticated and cosmopolitan an electorate as you will find anywhere and they are concerned about the mounting pressures on our environment.

“But we will need to offer practical policy options that will make a real difference in government.”

Among the more radical motions before the conference include a call from Trinity College members for a policy on legalising assisted suicide.

UCC’s Greens have also suggested that the state stop paying the salaries of teachers in private fee-paying schools.

However despite the talk of entering Government, old habits die hard.

The conference literature refers to poetry readings, car pooling, hostel accommodation and dietary options like fair trade tea and coffee.